Triglycerides are the main storage form of fat in the body, and they are very important for the overall functioning of the body. They are used:
- To create energy
- As building blocks for cells.
They have a very important function, in that most cells in the body use triglycerides for energy. (One notable exception is the brain cells, which do not use them for energy.) They are the most concentrated form of energy found within the body, producing more than twice the amount of energy per gram than other forms of energy -- protein and carbohydrates. This is why the body can store large amounts of triglycerides.
They are also important because they break down to form other fats used to build cells within the body.
Triglycerides come from the fats in foods (saturated fat and unsaturated fat). They are also made in the liver from carbohydrates and proteins.
They are mostly stored in fat cells, but other cells (such as muscle cells) store some triglycerides.
Since your body needs them to work properly, triglycerides need to get to all your cells. They do this by traveling through the bloodstream. But because they contain fat, they separate from the blood (similar to the way that oil separates from water).
To keep this from happening, proteins form a shell around them, making a "complex." The complex is then released into the bloodstream and travels where it needs to go.
A protein that is linked to triglycerides to form this complex is called a "lipoprotein." There are several different types of lipoproteins. You may have heard of some of these lipoproteins because they are the same ones that transport
cholesterol. Lipoprotein complexes that carry triglycerides include:
- Very low density lipoprotein (VLDL)
- Chylomicrons
- Intermediate density lipoprotein (IDL).
Triglycerides Levels in Blood
Normally, there are low levels of triglycerides in the blood. When a person eats, triglycerides are absorbed from the intestines and packaged into their lipoprotein carriers (chylomicrons). They are then carried within the blood, mostly to fat cells within the body. Carbohydrates and proteins that are consumed get sent to the liver where most are converted into triglycerides. These triglycerides are then packaged into other lipoprotein carriers (VLDL) and carried within the blood to fat cells.
So high levels of triglycerides in the blood (known as hypertriglyceridemia) occur naturally following meals. Within a couple of hours, most chylomicrons have delivered their triglycerides. After about 9 hours, most VLDLs have delivered their triglycerides.
Different levels in the blood are categorized below:
|
Triglyceride Levels Triglyceride Category
|
|
Less than 150 mg/dL
|
Normal
|
|
150-199 mg/dL
|
Borderline-high
|
|
200-499 mg/dL
|
High
|
|
500 mg/dL or above
|
Very High
|
High triglycerides in the blood occur in about 10 percent of people. They are more common in men and Caucasians. High triglycerides do not cause symptoms, so many people are unaware that their level is too high. Most people find out that they have high triglycerides though a blood test, such as a lipid panel.
High triglycerides may not cause problems over days, weeks, or months. But over years, they can increase your chances for
heart disease or a
heart attack. The main goal of treatment is to lower your levels enough to reduce your risk of these dangerous conditions. For people with high triglycerides and low
HDL, treatment will be more aggressive because these factors significantly increase a person's chance for
heart disease.
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